yeah, it’s long — I didn’t have time to make it shorter

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2 things I am watching during the writers’ strike

On the one hand, I am watching this show: Make Me a Supermodel, which I had no intention of watching even though I have seen approximately one million ads for it on Bravo. I am by no means anti-reality television — Project Runway, Top Chef and The Amazing Race are all staples in our television diet around here.

But this is another one of those borrowed from the Brits reality shows and it’s also a "let America vote" show and I might have snobbish tendencies here because I don’t really think America is going to pick a very interesting supermodel. And I don’t even mean a Very Smart Supermodel or Supermodel With A Great Personality. I just mean I don’t think America is going to pick a very interesting-looking supermodel. So what’s the point, right?

But, then I found out that my sister is going to be ON this show !!!

So now I have to watch it, and I have a genetic impulse driving me to tell everyone I know to watch it. She is going to be the walking coach on this show. This means, of course, that she is going to teach these model wannabes how to walk on the catwalk, but even though that makes sense it doesn’t change the fact that "walking coach" is just funny.

Transcript of an actual conversation I have had with my sister many times:

AMD: blah blah blahDebbie: I have to go teach this girl to walk. I’m late!

Okay, that’s not a transcript, more like a composite summary of many conversations, but I’m thinking there will be lots more surreality in our conversations for the run of this show. Not to mention that I cannot wait to watch it and then hear her take – Debbie’s got a sharp and totally hilarious wit. So I need it to run for a long time now. If you are at all inclined – and I know some of you are — watch it!

On the other hand, there’s The Wire. This show, which I had every intention of watching, premieres on HBO this Sunday.

This is my favorite show on TV. This might be my favorite show on TV ever. There have been a million columns, articles and blog posts in the last year all about the greatness that is The Wire. I won’t be adding to that here except to say that I told Rachel the other day that I think the only television experience greater than watching The Wire might be re-watching The Wire. This is the last season of the show, and it’s going to focus on the media. I don’t see how this won’t be awesome.

And maybe there is a connection here after all. This is a little tortured, but here it is. Read this interview that Nick Hornby did with David Simon, creator of Homicide: Life on the Streets, and The Wire. Simon’s attitude here about how he’s not writing for the average viewer, and how he’s not out to give the tour guide’s view of Baltimore, is kind of the opposite of the "let America vote" thing I mentioned above. I’m not saying there’s not room for both on American TV — it’s more that I’m saying, with eleven zillion channels available there should be room for both. We’re not in a media environment where TV shows are going to appeal to everyone, and it’s great when tv producers get that.

But that doesn’t let people off the hook about The Wire. There are four seasons of this show out on DVD right now and seriously, it is astonishingly good.